Do not go with Ptel. Their customer service is horrible. Just on hold for 48 mins. before someone came on and then got disconnected while waiting for a supervisor. I have $83 on my account, but can't access the phone because my "access time has expired." What the hell is that?

DaveP

9/2/2013

I'm a low-volume real-paygo phone customer user and mostly use my cell phone for when I'm away from home.
When they switched from CDMA to GSM network, they gave me the option of a FREE Alcatel OT-297 phone or a FREE Alcatel OT-606 phone. Free sim card and free shipping. The only cost to me was a $10 top-up. My only complaint is that I couldn't do it all on-line because of their website deficiencies. I had to call and speak to one of their representatives. My remaining minutes transferred over without any problem. Yeah, I had to wait about 20 minutes on hold until one of their service people got to me but hey! it was on speaker phone while I did other work on the computer right by the phone. No wasted time. When they got to me it was a fast switchover, and they even gave me the code to delete all my personal information off my old CDMA phone before donating it to a charity. No real complaints overall. And for $5/month you can't beat it.
And BTW: if I had decided to cancel my PTel subscription, they would have refunded me the remaining money left in my account.

ggia

9/1/2013

Unable to talk to Ptel via email or landlines. They do not respond and do not pick up. I transitioned my service with them (8-2013) as instructed, but days later they deactivated my phone. I've lost $99+ to those thieves. I'll send these remarks to Illinois FCC and cc a copy to their Illinois corporate office. Shame. Platinumtel was a good company.

Jamie

8/30/2013

Right now I will go with two stars. I went with PTEL simply for the fact that they had an offer for a free phone with the purchase of an unlimited plan. The phone is for a friend who has hit hard times and cannot afford a phone of her own and since she has a child it is imperative that she have a cell phone. Well right now the customer service is overwhelmed and hopefully they get it figured out and soon. I got the phone after the GSM switch

Debbie

8/28/2013

Platinum tel did have good cell phone service at a fair rate. But since they upgraded their system the reception is almost nonexistent. And yes their customer service personnel needs some training.

Customer service 1-866-225-5631, been trying for 7 days no pick up. E-mails all go unanswered. Signed up for $40 Unlimited Plan, received, Real Pay-Go Plan. Where do i go from here Ptel ?

dave

8/23/2013

The way they took care of the change from CDMA to GSM is a disaster. The phone we got as a replacement is a step backward from the one we had before. It had no manual and was configured for Spanish not English. Customer service is a joke it took an hour on hold to get to a live person who did make the conversion which would take effect, "in 3 hours to 3 days"! My son has had worse luck - his phone came configured to connect to a Mexican phone company and asked for a password to change. After spending HOURS on hold they told him they would send a new phone during which time his old phone does not work.
They are cheap but that's the only good thing I can say about them. Buyer beware.

Bob

8/22/2013

Its all been said. ZERO customer service. They will be out of business in a year or two - get a Trac Phne

Judy

8/21/2013

I've left 3 emails, had my chat window up for 4 hours and I've been on the phone for about 2 hours now waiting for any kind of reply. The emails sent were over the past two days and now I have no working phone and absolutely no idea how or when I'm ever going to get customer support.

AlmostUser

8/20/2013

Got Ptel for my wife and I; picked up little sony phones, got hers up and running before the switch that we didn't even know about. So what happens? I want to port my number; it doesn't work because of old service provider. I get it worked out with them and then? Nothing. Nothing at all from Ptel. Zero. Can't get them on the phone (>5 hrs of trying), no response to E-mail, silence.
Right now? My only advice is: avoid Ptel like the plague. Because that's pretty much all they are.

AlmostUser

8/20/2013

Got Ptel for my wife and I; picked up little sony phones, got hers up and running before the switch that we didn't even know about. So what happens? I want to port my number; it doesn't work because of old service provider. I get it worked out with them and then? Nothing. Nothing at all from Ptel. Zero. Can't get them on the phone (>5 hrs of trying), no response to E-mail, silence.
Right now? My only advice is: avoid Ptel like the plague. Because that's pretty much all they are.

Dan B

8/19/2013

Been a customer for 3 years,The service was great till they decided to switch to GSM.Now its like good luck to get somebody in customer service,they put you on hold for an hour.Forget about activating your phone online.I am switching back to my old service Net10.More expensive yes.But at least you get somebody on the phone.

Tina Lefko

8/19/2013

I was notified by Ptel to switch from CDMA phone to GSM phone. I purchased the GSM phone from Ptel. I followed the instruction to transfer data to the new phone. But my new phone didn't work. In the mean time, my old phone couldn't work either. I did get through to Customer Service after hrs, of waiting. Neither person seemed to know what to do. I had already started to activate the phone but the msg. was the records didn't match. The girl said I need to reregester the accoubt ..Well when you go to do it The msg. states it's sending a SMS Validation code. Hello none of my phones are active so what good is the code???? I was on hold (home phone)while she checked something and the conncetion was broken and I couldn't get it back. very frustrated

joes74

8/16/2013

Conversion from CDMA to gsm is complete train wreck. I have 3 lines with them and converted 2 of them a month ago, thankfully. My last number I converted last week and found out I have to port my number within Ptel! Well, their damn porting department doesn't work weekends and they've been sitting on my request for a week. Worst customer service ever. 800 number hangs up on you after a hour of holding. chat reps never appear and if you miss their response online they disconnect you. Porting department doesn't respond to emails. negative -----(5 stars)Looking for another company.

Disgusted

8/16/2013

Short version - Ptel for the last 3 month's is god-awful. Last year they were great, since the announcement of the gsm switch - not so much. Stay Away!! You've been warned.

Abe

8/14/2013

It is nearly impossible to get in touch with this company's "customer service" department. Try waiting for a chat-session. Hours pass & you continue to get the same message, that an operator will be with you shortly. Try calling their 866 number. You're on hold for well over an hour. I'll scour the Internet (and of course their support page) before getting desperate enough to waste my time trying to contact them. And if you are, after half a day's wait if you're lucky, able to reach an agent, they're never apologetic for the very long time you've been waiting to get help.
The positive reviews for this company, I am convinced, come from their cheap minute rates. I am thankful for that. But God forbid you ever need help from Ptel. They're not there and they really don't care because there's someone else in line waiting to take your spot as a customer. That kind of treatment is enough to make our family go with another service, like T-Mobile's 1-year 1000 minutes plan, since we don't use our cells often at all. I wish I could give Ptel 0-stars as a rating.

teddy

8/10/2013

i should give then zero stars..they have the worst customer service EVER!Avoid this company to any cost!!!

Jim, Sorry

8/9/2013

Jim, I see what you are saying. If you don't want to make this transition they are not refunding your money. At the very least, PTel should refund people's current credit if they don't want to invest in new phones and switch to GSM with them. I believe they are saying no because it would take effort to do that and we see how much effort they put into this transition. This looks headed to an ugly lawsuit, unfortunately. Only the lawyers will get something out of it. PTel's terms say no refunds on minutes, but since the change to GSM is a change that means you can no longer use what you paid for ... well, again, only the lawyers are going to like this.

Re: Jim

8/9/2013

In reply to Jim, you do *initially* lose your minutes that you paid for, but you should be able to get them transferred to your new phone. Did you get a new phone number, too? I did not, perhaps that is the difference? I would be royally peeved, like Jim, if they said it couldn't happen at all. Reaching them takes an hour, which is awful. I would try again though and make sure. You should not lose what you paid for during this transition. My accounts are Real Pay Go and have all been transitioned so far. I'm giving 2 stars because customer service has been professional despite all the flaws with this horribly planned transition and the fact that my phone number port happened without issue last night.

Walt

8/9/2013

Agree with Jim and others. PTEL has gone from among the best to about the worst in 6 months. Short notice of switch from CDMA to Tmobile requires new phones.. My old phones purchased from platinumtel are a sunk cost as they were originally for boost and can’t be used on other sprint mvno’s. Tmobile is useless in my area. Will lose my minutes and reaching customer service is at best frustrating and useless. PTEL has the right to make the change but demonstrates how it views it’s customers. Best advice STAY AWAY FROM THIS DOG.

Jim

8/9/2013

Liked Ptel for a while, then this new switchover to TMobile network happened, with barely a month's notice, and suddenly if I don't buy one of their sim cards AND a new phone from Ptel, then get this, I LOSE ALL THE MINUTES I'VE ALREADY PAID FOR!! How sleazy is that? Called customer service and it took almost 60 minutes to get through to someone. Incredible. Then they just made excuses and said, basically, too bad, you're screwed if you don't like it. Since when can a company get you to prepay and then steal your money? Since Ptel started, apparently. AVOID THIS COMPANY! I hope this review costs them a bunch of customers, as they deserve it for the absolutely criminal way they are treating formerly loyal customers.

Jordan P

8/9/2013

I've been a PTel customer for several years. They recently moved their network to GSM and the transition has been god awful. Instead of saying you had to switch phones, they sent a text saying the had coupons for them. I only realized it was required to switch when my phone turned off because I was out of minutes and didn't receive the text due to the switch. Customer service takes at least 20 minutes to reach by phone. Email, you'll never hear back. Been disconnected after waiting too. The people themselves are professional, but obviously overworked. Assuming nothing goes wrong and you don't need service, PTel is okay, but someone in management is a dingbat. I no longer recommend this company.

Nancy

8/6/2013

I was notified by Ptel to switch from CDMA phone to GSM phone. I purchased the GSM phone from Ptel. I followed the instruction to transfer data to the new phone. But my new phone didn't work. At the mean time, my old phone couldn't work either. I called and called and called.... the customer service but no one picked up. I even left several emails to its support but no reply. I have no cell phone to use for 4 days so far....

Barry Morris

8/3/2013

They give no customer support at this company. Neither by Email nor phone If you go there prepare to be ignored and frustrated.

Adam Worobec

8/2/2013

This company is awful. You can't get through to customer service. Three times I've tried waiting but had to end my call after 30 minutes, and 45 minutes twice with no answer. Emailed them twice as well. I'm having a repeat problem where my data quit working, the first time took two weeks to get it resolved, right now it's been a week.

John

8/2/2013

Okay service, overpriced, and God forbid you need to activate your phone or need customer service, they keep you on phone average an hour or more before you can talk to someone. I suggest you look somewhere else for your planless adventures

R Prasad

7/31/2013

PTEL customer service is worse, especially the waiting, from several minutes to hours. They changed their service from CDMA to GSM technolody recently. While my phone is changed my phone to GSM, they did not moved my prepaid balance to new phone. I am still waiting on the line now.
The only pros of PTEL is the price per min. Nothing else is good.

Sue

7/27/2013

The customer service is so poor because I called them three times, but nobody answered my phone during regular working hours. So my phone problem with them has not resolved. Do go to Ptel!

cindy

7/16/2013

I am one of the many customers left out in the cold by the switch to T-mobile's GSM network. I get a 25% discount on buying a new phone but I don't like their online phones. You can use any unlocked GSM phone but what I like is the LG rumour plus. not offered by PTEL. So I have to pay 70. Plus a sim card just to get back where I am now. This is not customer service.

Manuel

7/8/2013

Excellent price and customer service. If you don't use your phone a lot for phone calls and texting, the real paygo plan is the best there is.
I don't give five stars because since they switched to GSM the coverage is not as good as it used to be, at least in my area

Unhappy

7/5/2013

I had one of their per-minute plans. I discovered right away the plan does not work at my house, though Verizon seemed to be the fall over, inviting me to input my credit card number to pay for the call I wanted to make.
At one point my service just died, even though my account still had minutes.
They never acted on my request to send all account notifications to my e-mail. I wanted this since there was no service at my house, so I never checked the phone for messages.
While the price is right, I have to say the service was miserable.
Since this was sprint based, I'm also avoiding sprint because of the poor coverage.

JMontanaouta

7/2/2013

Good to great service. Changing carriers to ensure better service. Stinks to have to get new phone, but the old phone I had was going anyway.

Les

6/30/2013

I was a long time customer. Recently my phone started to fail. (This was ok, the phone had lasted many years.) The new phone they sent me was crap. And the customer service trying to get the issue resolved was crap. After sitting on hold multiple times their phone system hung up on me; including when I attempted to arrange to return the phone and cancel service. Finally I simply called my credit card company and disputed the charges, explaining that they had made it impossible to return the phone.

John

6/9/2013

WHEN WAS PLATINUMTEL GOING TO TELL US WE HAD TO BUY A NEW PHONE AND CHANGE FROM CDMA TO GSM SERVICE???!!! Late last year PlatinumTel decided to switch from Sprint CDMA to T-Mobile GSM service. This requires a different kind of phone and, for me, T-Mobile does not have coverage in my area. I found out about the change by "stumbling" onto it quite by accident during an internet search. WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL US, PLATINUMTEL???!!! The change happens NEXT Month!!! WE HAVE YET TO RECEIVE AN OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION!!!

Douglas Kent

6/7/2013

I have had Platinum Tel for six months and everything is great about the service. Thanks Ptel.

Linda

6/6/2013

I just disconnected from Platinumtel customer service. After trying to work with my issue for 40 minutes, the woman put me on hold, and left me on hold for over an hour until I disconnected. I have absolute disrespect for Platinumtel customer service.

Darius Daniels

5/26/2013

Free phone deal. I ordered directly from Platnum Tel, I forget exact model of phone but runs like crap. There was no directions how to set up phone. Quite irritating. I will never get service again from PTEL. I will try a Net10 prepaid order from Amazon

Ryan

5/25/2013

I switched from AT&T to PTel a month ago and am glad I did. I wanted an unlimited plan without a contract, and PTel seemed to have the best reviews of all the no-contract plans. I decided to go with the $50 unlimited plan, which includes 2GB of data at 4G speeds. Initially, I just used my old HTC Aria with the PTel service. I ordered a SIM card from their website, and wanted to port over my existing number, but was disappointed to learn that they could not port my existing number since the area code was out of their service area. However, I requested a new number, and was able to use the service fine with my current phone.
After testing the service for a few days I decided to keep it, and ordered an LG Nexus 4 from their website. They have a good selection of unlocked phones both on their website, as well as through an affiliate, but you have to pay the full price of the phone. However, I found a coupon for 25% a purchase from PTel, and was able to get the LG Nexus 4, and a $50 unlimited top-up card for $340. If you do decide to go with PTel, make sure you search for coupons online.
Since it is a prepaid service, top-up cards have to be bought before your service runs out. I spoke with customer service and learned that you can load up to 6 months of $50 top-up cards at one time.
My experience with PlatinumTel has been great so far. I drive a lot for my job, and have found that I get 3G/4G speeds in most medium to large cities, and Edge network speeds everywhere else. I rarely lose reception completely, but it does happen way out in the boonies.
Overall, the voice and data quality has been great. Unlike with AT&T, I rarely have dropped calls. Additionally, you can have your phone act as a mobile hotspot with the $50 unlimited plan, as long as your phone has hotspot capabilities built-in. I am very happy with this feature and have used it frequently with my laptop. I should also note that after using my Nexus 4 phone for a month, downloading multiple apps and games, as well as using it as a hotspot, I have only used a little over 1GB of data.
The service has not been without issues, however, and I have had to contact customer service several times. It often takes some time (usually 5-15 minutes) to get through to an agent by phone or instant messaging, but they are always helpful and are able to resolve my issue. I should note that the issues were related to correctly setting up my old phone, not with their service itself.
Overall, I am very happy with the service, and plan on sticking with PTel. Verizon Wireless and AT&T seem to be charging more and more for lower quality service, so if you're as fed up with it as I was, PlatinumTel is a good alternative.
Here is a summary of my review:
Pros -
- Only $50 a month for unlimited everything, with the first 2GB of data at 4G speeds.
- Free mobile hotspot service if your phone has the capability.
- Good customer service.
- Can purchase and load up to 6 months of air time.
- Good selection of phones (you can get a Samsung Galaxy S3 through one of their affiliates).
- The price! Even with spending $300 on the phone, I am saving several hundred dollars over the course of two years.
Cons -
- You have to pay the full price of the phone.
- They cannot always port your cell phone number.
- It sometimes takes a while to get through to customer service.

Kris

5/14/2013

I signed-up with PTel this month (the Real PayGo prepaid/pay-as-you-go plan). So far, I am happy with them. Everything is working fine, and the sign-up process was easy. Customer Service is very responsive: I have not tried calling them; instead, I have used chat and email. If there is a long wait with chat, then I just email them, and they respond within a day.
I have my own unlocked Nokia 2330c-2b phone. It's a GSM phone, and it works just fine with PTel's service.
The only reasons I've had to contact customer service are: #1 to learn about Real PayGo prior to switching to PTel, and #2 to disable (or place blocks) on data and text (I don't use either feature with my phone...just voice).
They have their regular website (https://www.platinumtel.com or https://www.ptel.com), and they also have a support website (https://ptel.zendesk.com). If you email them, then they create a ticket that gets logged on their support website (all your tickets get logged there, and you can review progress and respond---or you can just respond via email). There are also forums, announcements, tips/tricks, and feature requests sections on their support site (you can subscribe to them, and contribute to them).
After researching PTel's Real PayGo plan, here are my notes:
#1
PTel uses the T-Mobile network (GSM).
#2
pay each 60 days or if balance is below $1.50
expires after 60 days or if balance is below $1.50
cancels in 5 days of expiring
#3
They try to retrieve your phone# if account canceled <30 days. If account canceled >30 days, then have to reactivate with a new #, purchase new SIM card and minutes; also, lose prior balance.
#4
expires if you make a direct international call; direct international calls are not included; you must use PlatinumTel International service by dialing 835 to make an international call, see website for details
#5
$10 top-up, expires in 60 days
#6
unused balance carries-over for a full year from the date it is loaded onto the account
#7
$0.50 fee deducted on 13th of month; fee is for Federal Universal Service Fund and WLNP
#8
5-cents per minute for calls
#9
411 charges (directory assistance); $0.50 per call, unless you dial 1-(800) FREE-411 (3733-411) which is billed at the normal rate
#10
how to check your balance:
* normal fee if done by phone (233, or #ADD)
* My phone has a feature that gives balance after each call, but it doesn't work with PTel
* Setup text and data balance alerts via their website (after you create an account)
* View your balance in your account on their website
#11
no credit for dropped calls
#12
autopay - not available
#13
SIM sizes: Mini 2FF, or Micro 3FF, or get the hybrid card that has both (that's what I did)
#14
You have the option to block text messages & data. It's free to disable these features; just contact them.
#15
cannot place calls to:
500, 700, 900, 976 numbers; party lines; operator-assisted calls such as third-party-billed and collect calls
#16
contact info:
chat, email, IVR, social media, or...
mailing: PO BOX 1825, Bridgeview, IL 60455
physical: 8108 S Roberts Rd, Justice, IL 60458-1668,
Phone: 611, or 708.458.9999, or 1-866-CALL-ME-1
Fax: 708.458.9989
M-Sat 9-9pm Central, Sun 10-5pm Central

Sayakat

5/12/2013

My first phone didn't work so that I got a replacement after I talked with 3 different customer services reps. It took 30 minutes to reach a rep each time. It was very time consuming. Anyway, the replacement I received is apparently used. It still had old oweners contact info & photos ( the wall paper was a cute little birdy photo the previous owner took. How lovely.),so I had to delete them myself. Isn't it illegal passing out personal info like this way? What upsets me most is that it is a used T-mobile phone with T-mobile features. There are lots of icons and selections only work with T-mobile users, which is just annoying for me. I have just sent a complaint to the customer services. I don't want to spend $70 for the crappy used phone like this. By the way, the reason why I still gave them two stars is that my husband has no issue with his phone (arrived new) and services.

Kathy

4/4/2013

Don't ever forget your password! I've been trying for two days to get a new password via a text message from Ptel (which is the only way they can send that to you), but just found out I'm unable to receive text messages from them. I've been told it could take up to 10 days for their IT people to troubleshoot the problem. In the meantime, I have no way of reviewing my account. I've been a customer for two months - so far I'm not very impressed.

vincent williams

3/27/2013

i've had this cellphone almost a year,the last [3] months i can't make any outgoing calls...the government has been paying with no service..i will report this to my caseworker for the terrible service they're being ripped off for.

Li

3/26/2013

Their customer service is very poor, because of short of staff. The one who answers your call couldn't resolve anything but write down a ticket. My problem still hasn't been solved after two weeks, 3 calls to them.

syd V

3/20/2013

I would not buy from Ptel. I was given the wrong minutes plan, a much more expensive one, even though I have chosen the right plan. The access days were also wrong. I have to call several times before the issue was hopefully resolved. Meanwhile, I was still charged for the wrong plan even though it was their mistake. I am staying with my current provider even it is more expensive. The inconvenience is too much and lack of empathy for the customer hurts.

minimalist update

3/18/2013

I've been a ptel customer for 2 yrs now. Works great for my minimalist calling/texting patterns--I use consistently

Steamed Dumpling

3/18/2013

New Ptel customer as of 3/13. Purchased what was advertised on the Ptel site as a NEW phone, which was actually a repackaged phone, that according to the MFR code on the IMEI tag 3 years old! No new packaging, no original accessories, no manual, and worst of all, NO factory warranty! Phone was tossed loose in a box with a no name charger, a no name battery, the back unattached, and the handset, with no protective plastic bags or even a piece of newspaper to protect it during shipping! Needless to say the phone arrived scuffed and scratched after 3 days spent in the box rubbing against the prongs of the unwrapped charger while being tossed around by USPS package monkeys. Ptel gets 2 stars from me... Only because of the best damn prepay rate out there. Customer service, both on the phone and emails, are slow to respond, and ineffective at getting the appropriate persons or department involved to fix an issue. Example: My replacement arrived fast, but still packed the same way as the first phone! 3 days after it arrived, I got the email saying it was shipped, and provided the tracking number! DUH! All my complaining about the way they pack phones for shipping, and they do it again! I will not buy another Ptel phone again, after the sleazy underhanded way they mislead customers about the phones being "NEW" when they are NOS without a manual or warranty beyond the crappy 30 day Ptel warranty. I may keep the service, if that goes well, but I will never get another phone through them, or tell others to switch to Ptel service no matter how cheap it is.

Javi

3/9/2013

The best prepaid company I have ever used. They use T-Mobile network so if you live in a place where T-Mobile signal is strong the $50 unlimited everything is for you. They have clean rules about the 2GB limit of 4G (2G is unlimited) while other companies hide the cap limit and just cancel your account. PLATINUMTEL DOES NOT CHARGE TAXES on the monthly plans so its a lot cheaper. Texting is unlimited including international texting. Calling international is so cheap. For example when I call Mexico land line I only pay 1 cent a minute. The only complaint I have is that they do not have automatic payments and it sucks having to add money every month. But at least I can do it online or I can pay anywhere MoneyGram service is around. If you are one of those persons that calls just once in a while Platinumtel is also for you. There is no other company that sells 10 cents a Megabite or texting for 2 cents. If you want to go as you go this is the company to chose.

LifeIsGood

3/6/2013

I've been with mostly all of the prepaid companies over the years. I stumbled upon PTEL last year, and was amazed at their real paygo pricing.
I'm not a phone bug, and do not talk a lot with the cell phone, so that plan works out great for me.
I upgraded Dec., 2012 to a entry level smartphone with new sim card.
PTEL is one of VERY few prepaid cell phone companies that let you use your home's wifi to go online, surf the web, go to google play and download content, all without wasting money using their data! Calls are cheap, texts and MMS are cheap, and the service days that they give you are great, compared to most of the other prepaids out there.
You can even download TextPlus from google play, and text with that and save even more money.
I'm not saying I wouldn't like a nice Iphone 5, but being a light user, it would just collect dust while sitting on it's pedistal.
My little basic smartphone is all I need for now, and this plan is a super deal. Signal is great since switching to GSM network. I LOVE PTEL!
I would recommend this company, have not regretted it.

Andre

2/23/2013

I am a new customer and I called customer service to add another 30days of service. My service expires on 2/28 so after I paid I expected my new expiration date to be 3/29 or 3/30. I was told my new expiration date was 3/25. When I told her that it was not 30 days she told me that you only get 30 days from the date you renew. That means that if you renew 10 days early you only get 20 days of service with your renewal. If PTEL does this with all their unaware customers they can afford to advertize a cheaper plan. I wanted to deposit $40 to allow international calls but I was told they could not complete that transaction so I can't use that cheap rate either. The moral of the story is that you get scammed out of the remaining days of service if you renew early, you can't make cheap international calls and they are not able to set-up automatic payments to extend your service.

Laura

2/22/2013

Their sim card DOES NOT work with iPhone 4 or higher. They do not specify that on their website. On the phone they told me to "have it cut" by a professional. Useless!!! Terrible customer service too. I was on hold for 30 minutes and then 15 more to finally realize that I could not use their sim card. Very disappointed.

Terry

2/14/2013

In October 2012 I got an LG Rumor 2 with platinumtel. It worked great and platinumtel is cheap. But now they are switching from CDMA to GSM (sim card), which I got for my son. I guess the GSM uses a different network because coverage in the Omaha area is horrible. Had to switch my son to Tracfone and I'll wait until they totally end CDMA this summer and then I'll have to switch as well. The $80 LG I bought in October will then be useless.

Paul Reed

2/7/2013

P-Tel is OK unless you don't use enough minutes to suit them. I called them & explained that I wouldn't be using my P-Tel until 2-13-13 when my mutes on a Tracfone I had run out. I guess they didn't want to wait because I have received calls on my P-Tel voice mail from 16 different phone numbers with the same exact voice message saying in the same woman's voice "I'm sorry I can't hear you". I'm just not going to ever answer any calls unless they are from someone on my contact list. Someone in upper management had to OK harassment like this & that really say a lot about a company. Someone with P-Tel really needs to loose their job for something this stupid.

James

2/5/2013

Worst mistake I ever made wasting my money on this junk, this is not a real company you can tell as as soon you get activate your crap. Nothin works right, the phones they sell are used not brand new. The have a NO RETURNS policy, what type of crap is that?
They disconnect you for "ABUSE" if you talk over 2 hours per day, you need to buy a new phone every month because they do not warranty the phone. I assure you any positive reviews here are from the owner himself, stay away this is junk. I am surprised the government has not shut this guy down yet.

Chenault L

1/23/2013

I have had Platinumtel for over two years now;and their service and rates are the ABSOLUTE best I've ever found-no if's and's or buts ! ! I just need reliable service to make calls and receive calls;PTel provides that at outstanding prices;If you want talk all day and text all night while playing some asinine games,go elsewhere. PTel gives you what you pay for and a hell of a lot more.Unless you're a CEO,you don't need more !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jade M

1/16/2013

When my parents stopped paying my phone bill, I wasnt able to start my own account with AT&T without paying a $200 security deposit and their monthly rates were a joke. Ive never heard of such a thing! But since I dont have credit apparently my money is not trustworthy enough. Anyways I found platinumtel through a friend and decided to give it a try. Not only is it cheap but I have yet to drop a call! (AT&T drops a few of my calls a week) I have such great service and LOVE my android. I was almost ashamed to think I was downgrading to a pre-paid service but am pleasantly surprised because this is defiantly an upgrade!

Samson

1/13/2013

Probably the best service I've ever had. Data can be rather annoying to deal with but their customer service is phenomenal.

Guest

1/9/2013

Not worth it! Don't buy from them. Customer Service will never do anything to help you. We bought a phone, and let a few months go by without adding time. They told us the phone number was cancelled and that they no longer can add to that phone because they only use sim cards now.
WHAT CRAP!!!! I spent over 100$ on the phone and now I will have to get another one for my daughter.

GoPats

1/1/2013

Read,details are clear upfront.Phone offerings are limited,usage options are geared toward economical users.However, customer service is outstanding and for value( cost savings realized) it is worthwhile.

Michael

12/11/2012

Buyer Beware!!
These phones do not have SIM cards and their payment system is designed to catch you out so you lose your money

Ben Yanke

12/8/2012

This service fully deserves the 5 starts I gave it, and 5 more. Some people complain about little things, but if you think about it, you are paying next to nothing, and their customer service is **excellent.** They have been very helpful, and have been able to help me with every problem I've had.
For someone who doesn't use data, and doesn't do a ton of calling, this is the ideal plan, and any other provider, including prepaid, would be MUCH MUCH more (like 3 or 4 times as much, at least).
I would dare say their customer service is the best of any company I've ever dealt with.

Baby CC

12/7/2012

People want to pay nothing and get services like they paid for a contract. You don't pay anywhere near what a contract would cost so why would you expect the same services. They offer exceptional rates and phones that do the job. If you want to spend 30 and up a month then go to a different company. If you want a phone for calling, texting and not wasting money then this is the company for you. I love it. It is the best deal on the market. Can't beat it!

Bryan

12/6/2012

I've had a Platinum Telephone Palm Pixi for 6 months. So far, I really like the company, more so the more I read about other companies.
However, I don't like Sprint (Platinum's service provider) because they don't provide service at my home, though it does sort of work with a cell phone booster. Their coverage map says there is excellent coverage all over my area, I've checked it out all around town, very few areas have coverage.
I'd really like to use Platinum for my father, he lives right next to a cell phone tower. Unfortunately, Platinum doesn't allow you to provide your own phone, and none of theirs would be usable by my elderly father.
And I'd rather have a Palm Pixi Plus for myself (adds WiFi), but only Verizon allows that.

Antonia

11/30/2012

On September 2011 I got my first phone with platinum tel. I was amazed at the quality service associated with the price. I should have known it was too good to be true because by December my phone wouldn't turn on. I was foolish enough to believe it was my fault even though it never got wet or I never dropped it so I got a new phone from them. It lasted up until the summer, and during the summer I went on a trip to Europe so I didn't use the phone during that time period. I came back home and I found out that they cancelled my phone number because the phone was inactive for 30 days. NOBODY could reach me! I got a new number. I was unhappy but I could live with the short comings. Then my phone started going in and out of service even though I was in my own HOUSE and everybody else with their cell phones still had the service. I called the company and they once again told me it was MY fault that the phone stopped working because i must have "dropped it". I would have to buy ANOTHER new phone and my minutes would not be refunded. THIS IS A TERRIBLE SERVICE! yes, the minutes were cheap, but i wasted a lot more money fixing their problems then i saved from their cheap minutes.

paulblow

11/29/2012

I decided to give Platinumtel a chance since their rates for talking and texting are so much cheaper than what I get with my T-mobile pay-as-you-go plan. The rates are awesome, especially for texting (only 2 cents per text message) but as others have said the refurbished phones they give you are dicey! I got a Motorola Krazer phone for $29.99 but after one month it became extremely glitchy. It's barely usuable and I've only used $9 worth of my $30 card. Platinumtel does NOT use SIM cards so you are stuck with the phone they give you, and they have a very small assortment of phones, most of which are refurbished. I cannot recommend Platinumtel for this reason.

minimalist

11/7/2012

I love platinum tel. As a cell phone minimalist who just needs it for emergencies, not for round the clock entertainment, web surfing, etc, I am thrilled to find a prepaid company with fantastic rates. I got the free refurbished samsung 800 1.5 yrs ago, and it's not the best phone, but it's still working, and it works with my car bluetooth. The battery was terrible, but I got an SD card, and somehow that helped the battery life significantly. Maybe it doesn't need to back up as much overnight?
Anyway, we got more plat tel phones for the grandparents, who use about $2-3/month. The grands use it mainly to call Taiwan for .07/minute--great deal! All of our refurb phones have lasted 1.5 yrs--guess it's luck of the draw.
For all of our phones, we just load $10 every 3 mos to keep the access active. I used to pay $35/month for a flip phone I never used, and now I pay $40/year to use my plat tel whenever I need it. I do have a friend using plat tel who pays much more, mainly because she web surfs/emails through her phone. So if that is the main fxn you need from a phone, I don't think paygo is the right plan for you.
If you don't need a super fancy phone, and just want to talk and text as needed, plat tel paygo is great. Coverage through the sprint system has been perfectly functional as well. The biggest risk is the 2nd hand refurbished phone, but if the phone works/lasts, it's hard to beat Plat Tel rates. If you wait until they have a free phone deal, I think you have little to lose.

Losttaxi

11/2/2012

@Peter.T. I have platinumTel and I have let my phone expire before, if you forgot your pass and couldn'tlog in you should have called and renewed over the phone also you receive a notification from PTel that your account is going to become inactive 3-5 days before it actually does so you should have had plenty of time to renew. I've had a ptel phone for about a year it has been great, never froze up or had to be fixed, I've never had problems with the customer service and The coverage has always been better than any other seervice provider I've used, I understand your frustration, but it really wasn't because of ptel.

seabee

10/28/2012

Yugeen A warranty is a Warranty Ptel is the same as any company. I have had my phone for over a year works great. I think that maybe you are just hard on phones. You are 2 for 2 I have 5 in my house one for each person and the work fine.

Derek

10/11/2012

PlatinumTel is GREAT! Cheapest way to get an Android no contract phone. 5c/min 2c/text 10c/mb. NOBODY can beat that.

flacaller

10/1/2012

Seems like their service has worsened over the past year,although to be fair, the prices for a prepaid phone is good. One big problem is getting through to customer service. When your phone service does not work you cannot dial customer service from your cell phone, so if you are on a trip, this is a real problem. Most services let you dial a 3-digit number to reach them even if you phone service is locked for some reason. For example, if you load money onto your account online and it does not credit it for some reason, you cannot call and talk to a person unless you can call from another phone. If you can put up with the hassle, and you don't want the extras, like "unlimited" internet access or texting it is a decent price. Also, you will not be refunded for the balance on your account if you want to cancel your service. The customer service staff, I'm sure, do their best, but they are probably short-handed and underpaid. I'm looking for another phone company, as it's just getting to be too much of a problem to contact Platinumtel when you need them.

johnnybegoode

10/1/2012

Real Pay Go is a gem!
I switched from T-Mobile prepaid to PlatinumTel. Loved it. They have Great customer service too. Save me a lot of money.
Hope they would add more cool phones and hopefully iPhone 4 in the near future!!!

Robert

9/11/2012

I use my Platinumtel phone mostly for data. I had been using an AT&T GoPhone for data until April, when they drastically raised the cost. I get data for 5cents/mb from Platinumtel and that works well for me. I have no complaints about my service from Platinumtel, but I have found that some of their phones are not to my liking. I returned the Palm Pixi. I used a Samsung Intercept for awhile. It was a piece of junk, but I had it too long to return. I am now using a Sanyo Juno. It is not a smartphone, but it works great and serves me well for accessing data. I downloaded the Opera mini browser, which is a big plus. The data service would not be as good without the Opera browser. Although, I did have some trouble finding the right phone, I am happy with Platinumtel. It meets my needs and I have been completely satisfied with their customer service.

David

9/11/2012

Marginal coverage and haphazard business practices, similar to their competition in the prepaid world. Service expired while I was away from home on the weekend. Attempted to log in and renew, but didn't have my password. Requested new password, but it was sent to my expired and locked phone (now cut off) so couldn't get to my account. On Monday, I thought better of the entire Platinum Tel experience and decided to just chuck it all. Prepaid always sucks, but sometimes it sucks worse because your provider is just lame. Skip Platinum Tel and go somewhere where it doesn't suck as much. You'll be glad you did!

Sarah

8/20/2012

I've had Plat Tel for 1.5 years and very happy. Great rates and customer service has been fine. My only problem is with new phone, I can't seem to transfer contacts from old phone. Anybody know how?

Sad customer

8/18/2012

I purchased a Samsung intercept from Platiumtel in May 2012 In August 2012 the speaker and the ringer stopped working. I was told I would have to buy a new phone. I was never able to use the name reconistion on bluetooth in the car and you have to set up a g mail account to use email. It ok if you wnat to replace your phone every 3 months. I am going to Virgin or andother carrrier

Nick

8/17/2012

I got my girlfriend a PlatinumTel phone (LG Rumor) to replace her AT&T phone. Transferring the number was fairly confusing and required us to contact customer service after purchasing the phone. The wait time for CS is fairly long (10-20 minutes) and wasn't very helpful, but we eventually figured it out and got the number transferred over. Once that was squared away, everything else has worked out fine. Reception is good and the pay-as-you-go option is the cheapest around. I have a T-Mobile pay-as-you-go phone and I barely talk/text at all, whereas my girlfriend talks/texts all the time, and I pay the same for both phones.

Peter T.

8/16/2012

DO NOT USE PLATINUMTEL!
Their business model relies on selling customers cheap refurb phones that break within weeks and instead of replacing the broken phone you're left with either dead credits or having to pay for a new phone that will break all over again.
I had a refurb phone for less then a week, and the screen on my phone broke just from pressing the up key. Thinking that the defective refurb phone would be replaced I contacted PlatinumTel Customer service. I was put on hold for twenty minutes and was denied by both a Customer Service Rep and a Manager that they would not replace the defective phone they sold me. I then asked the Manager if I could speak to a manager and she hung up on me! I was quite infuriated. I also no this wasn't a mistake because I gave the woman my phone number just in case of an accidental hang up. No one called me back.
I did some research and supposedly they have some of the worse customer service in the industry.
See here for additional reviews:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/Search/platinumtel.aspx
Again, DO NOT USE PLATINUMTEL!

Kim N

8/7/2012

I read the reviews and signed up for PlatinumTel for my teenage daughter for Christmas 2011. I was very pleased until May 2012- all of a sudden they flagged my daughters account saying she was texting 'too much'- I was paying for the unlimited texting plan each month and in the fine print it does say that if they think you are abusing their system they will flag your account but all cell plans say that- because she was flagged she could not text for 7 days until they 'unflagged' her account. I called customer service thinking something was wrong with her phone and they even talked me through several 'fixes' before they even realized she was 'flagged'. I questioned this because it is advertised as 'unlimited texting' but the rep said she couldn't help me that it was policy to flag the users who 'over use' the 'unlimited' texting service. My daughter then started using the phone again (I stressed to her to cut back on the texting but she is a teenager with lots of friends who also are texting) and it went fine for about 8 weeks and she was flagged again and lost access for another 7 days in July. My daughter did cut back on texting once she was flagged but she had not texted anymore in May and July than she did from December to May yet it became a problem then...I checked the call records from December to May and nothing had increased from then to May-July time frame. Needless to say, I am very disapointed in this service- my daughter had never been 'flagged' for overtexting on my old plan but I thought I would save money with this one and ended up spending money on weeks she could not even use her phone. I think this service may be great for those who only use their phones once in a while but if you have a teenager who wants to use it to text I would have to tell you to find another plan.

SB

8/2/2012

I've used their pay as you go service for 15 months with a Samsung 800. I would like a better phone but the service is very good and very economical. Two points: I bought the $100 worth of minutes, and it was perfectly clear that this was for ONE YEAR. I now add $10 every three months. Second, the 30 day warranty is clear when you buy the phone. One last point, I have found the phone help and support very helpful and supportive. No complaints. Sometimes they are slow to catch onto a problem, but they do try to help. I would not use PlatinumTel if I wanted a phone aimed at using the Internet and such. I want a phone for calling, messages, and to store my contacts. PlatinumTel does a good job of meeting my needs.

Jon

8/1/2012

They stink.Phone says no service.

Falwid

7/26/2012

As I do not make many phone calls at all, I just wanted a cell phone for emergencies. After checking around I thought PlatinumTel looked good. The rates were fair and they offered (what I thoiught) was a $100 top off card (for minutes) that never expired. From their current ad, "For the $100 plan, airtime does not expire and carries over until depleted. " What I was not aware of was that the whiole thing was based on 365 "service days"... that is, the "airtime does not expire and carries over until depleted" as long as it is all used within 365 days.
It is all apparently even more "catch-22" than my explanation above. From what I understood after talking with the sales rep upon finding my account had been cancelled (by them), my account was cancelled after 365 days for failure to pay the bill. But, there was no actual bill to be paid as I still had at least $75 on my prepaid "card." As I had not contacted them within 30 days of my failure to pay, my account was cancelled.
Caveat emptor!!

Angel

7/11/2012

This company sells trash ! "0" costumer service! Try to return the trash will take/cost you weeks of your life plus the cost of shipping and the % 20 fee of the price payed which they reserve to charge you:
"PlatinumTel will not accept handsets that are returned in a damaged condition. PlatinumTel does not warranty against loss, theft, abuse, misuse, improper installation,
water damage, or customer negligence. We reserve the right to inspect the items for damage and use. Any items that are returned in a damaged condition will not be accepted. Please note that the warranty will be void if products returned are physically damaged or not packed properly. Returned packages that are not in compliance with our return policy will be ineligible for a refund and we may return the package to you at your expense. Handsets must be returned within 30 days of the date of activation or prior to the use of 200 minutes of airtime, whichever occurs first. PlatinumTel reserves the right to impose additional fees in the event the information above is not followed according to our policy. We reserve the right to impose a 20% restocking fee. PlatinumTel reserves the right to change the return policy terms without prior notice. Your signature below indicates acknowledgement and agreement of PlatinumTel’s Return Policy and Terms"
The hands setts are sent without original package, almost #99 refurbished.I have got with them 2 samsung and 1 sanyo - all of them with problems : touch screen and Sanyo - audio problems.
The new Samsung I both is not working properly and I did not like it. So I looking for other provider. The calls drop off so often. Not Good ! Giving 2 stars because of the prepaid rate 5 cents per min.

frank

6/30/2012

this service works fine for me.i ported from verizon and save about 30 bucks a month. this being said, signal strength is slightly weaker but adequate. if you want latest and greatest phones, a store to walk in and the personal touch, keep looking. if you just want a phone that works fine, talk and text, and a low price, this service is worth it. i have an lg rumor(refurb) and it works fine. if i have to buy another in a year, who cares, i'm saving money and don't worry about banging it up. they spell out everything at their website, you just have to read. customer service is fine and they do try to do a good job.

HVinh

6/16/2012

Please! Never use platinumtel. Most of the time it won't dial out or send text. it sucks! I spend $100, and can used only $10 for ONE YEAR, and then they say my phone expired, even when I bough it (1 year ago),their policy did not say "To use unexpired airtime, you must have service days as well."

Stella

6/15/2012

Horrible

Stella

6/15/2012

Platinum Tel is horrible. They do not follow through with what they advertise.

cat

5/31/2012

i have two phone numbers with them and most of the time it won't dial out or send text. it sucks!

Jason

5/26/2012

I travel a lot and their coverage sucks where ever I go. Their phones suck too....my Motorola phone is lucky to hold a charge for 6-8 hours with minimal if any talking. I'll be going back to Net 10.

tr

5/16/2012

I got their phone in the mail. It wouldn't recharge. They sent me another, same problem. When the third one wouldn't recharge I asked for a refund. What a total waste of time and effort.

Stefan

5/15/2012

There is nothing good to say about this outfit.Decided to cancel right after starting activation of their junk refurb phone that they have shipped to me.

Alex

5/8/2012

I have nothing but positive things to say when it comes to PlatinumTel support. It's by far the best you could find with a cell phone company!
A few days after I received my first PlatinumTel phone, I browsed around the mobile store on my phone. I was curious about what the purchase process was like, just in case I wanted to buy something in the future. I didn't plan on buying anything that day, but I accidentally did. A screensaver. (The day before, I had set the browser's preferences to not load images so I'd save bandwidth whenever I browsed the Internet. I didn't know that I had clicked the "Buy" button because it was an image.) When I logged into my PTel account and learned what happened, I started freaking out. I didn't mean to buy a screensaver! I decided that I'd call PTel's customer service to see if there was anything they could do. I was hoping that they'd be able to help, but I was afraid that they wouldn't be able to. Well, I explained my situation to a lady on the other end and, when she told me that all mobile purchases are final and non-refundable, my heart started to sink. Thankfully, that feeling didn't last long though, because immediately after, she told me that because it was an accident, she'd credit the money right back into my account! No questions asked! And it was so fast, too! Not counting hold time, I was on the phone with her for just 45 seconds. That's not an exaggeration!
I guarantee, you'll never find customer service like PlatinumTel's. You just won't!

Kev Dawg

5/8/2012

This is a good way to go for people that use tons of minutes a month. I do the pay as you go method. Customer service has always been prompt and helpful when I have dealt with them.
What kills this is the service areas suck. I am in Tennessee in a city of over 100,000 people. I get decent coverage when I am in the center of town, but the service in my own home is non existent. I am right by a huge university of over 20,000 people and I constantly get no service. AND when I do, it will disconnect all the time, thus defeating the idea of cheap minutes, because I have to use more minutes to reconnect again.

Keeady

5/3/2012

Platinumtel let me connect to my family abroad with the cheapest rate available.It's affordable for me because i only pay for what i use.

alex

5/2/2012

Platinumtel not only offers cheap texting and minutes, but also ways to get free texting and minutes by doing simple promotional gigs. One of them was to write a good thing on this wall!

Miora

4/26/2012

I love platinumtel. It is affordable and I can make make cheap international calls with it! Now i can stay in touch with my family abroad! thank you platinumtel!!

John

4/26/2012

I don't understand why some of you say that PlatinumTel has the best rates available. PagePlus has 2,000 minutes for $80. and a year to use them. That's .04 cents a minute, the cheapest rate I see on the internet. (I am not associated with PagePlus or any other cell company.)

Babar Khan

4/22/2012

Platinumtel it best cell company for me and my son. It saved us lot of money. It runs on Sprint network without high fees. Their real paygo rates are the best.